


mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell

by lavendericecoffee



Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series, The Lorax (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Clive is a gay disaster and we all know it, First Meetings, Interviews, M/M, Mild Language, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 13:16:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17488727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavendericecoffee/pseuds/lavendericecoffee
Summary: Clive is a well-liked and -known London reporter. But when he makes a crucial writing mistake, he's met with proposition of interviewing a popular American businessman. I mean... How bad could it be, right?





	mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY TO [ANDY](http://oncie.tumblr.com)!!!!!! this little fic was my bday gift for them ❤️
> 
> big shout out to my dearest [Koral](http://koralshkeecuje.tumblr.com/) for thinking of the AU for this one ❤️  
> I'm keeping the WIP title cause I like it too much  
> (other titles include 'Front Page Gossip' ~~and 'clive is gay gay gay he likes long big cocks'~~ )

Clive had to admit to himself – he hasn’t hit this kind of low since long time.

Well, how could he! He was a young and inspired writer, working for an important London newspaper. He was bright and full of ideas on so many topics. His work was praised between his coworkers and the public. Not only that but also his boss always found a good word to say to him. Clive had this kind of boldness within him. He wasn’t afraid of the toughest topics and was ready to take all means necessary for a good article.

Though, it was probably his ambition, that put him into this situation. Clive Dove was mostly known for his articles about accidents, tragedies or scandals in the city. His unusual persistence was very much so needed for these kinds of stories. He wasn’t afraid of writing stories showing the truth about system malfunctions. It was something that truly made his work special – he always wanted to show people the truth.

Several weeks ago, he was proposed with an unusual proposition. His boss wanted him to tackle an issue of some hidden political scandal connected to cheating in relationships, typical gossip mush. Not exactly his strongest topic but hey, he was very talented and didn’t mind taking new challenges. That’s why he agreed on the job.

Unfortunately, his need for the truth was probably too much in this situation. Some sensitive details were leaked and his newspaper was threatened with a lawsuit for defamation. Thank god, this particular person was ready to settle the conflict with an apology written directly to them in the next issue of the magazine.

Every other person would probably get fired in the spot for something like this. But Clive wasn’t exactly like every other person. Despite his crucial mistake, it was still obvious, that he was a brilliant writer. Losing Clive would mean losing an important link and mind in the work. His boss couldn’t afford something like this! That’s why he was met with another proposition. He would either write a good story for the next issue on a topic nobody really wanted to take or he could just walk straight out of the office. And Clive was known to never say ‘no’ to a proposition like this.

Yet, when he discovered what would be his next topic, he knew definitely why he was left to do the dirty work.

Some kind of important (and popular) American businessman was attending some meetings in London. He was staying for quite some time and it would be a shame not to interview him on the matter. But his boss didn’t want just a standard interview. Rather Clive was told to interview him on a personal matter. Maybe find out something about his private life. His boss insisted that if he was so popular, this kind of article would definitely up their sales. He guessed that if gossip got him into this situation gossip should also bring him out of it.

The biggest problem was that Clive _hated_ all this babble stuff. Who would care that someone cheated on other someone or how much they spend on boots. He was there for the real intrigue! The thrill of the chase, the truth of the system, the reveal of something unjust in the place… That was the thing and he wanted to obtain it in the best way.

But since between him and interesting stories was a dumb rumor about some kind of young businessman, what else was he supposed to do. That of course didn’t mean, he wouldn’t be pissed off endlessly by it.

“Stupid bloody wanker and his stupid bloody business,” he muttered to himself as he strolled to the London branch of his company.

Popular stars weren’t exactly Clive’s favorite thing on Earth. He didn’t want to follow it and he wasn’t really up to date on who was popular now. The only thing he knew is that the entrepreneur was a rather young man, who invented something called a thneed. Now that was something more familiar to him. He himself owned at least one of these and he was actually really impressed by it. Something that could be anything and serve any purpose. Not a bad idea.

It was also strange to hear. Popular people were usually musicians, actors, directors, politicians – not some inventors. Just the way how he could make brand of himself with a product like this made Clive interested. Especially since, he’s heard that this inventor was close to his own age. Maybe it wouldn’t be a complete waste of time. Or maybe he was just intrigued by him.

After some time spent travelling, he was just before the building entrance. It was fancy, sure, but that much. Maybe it was because he was quite wealthy himself but it was weirdly simple for him. He exhaled deeply before going in. Here goes nothing, he thought to himself.

Inside, it looked much more rich. They sure wanted to make this place look the best possible. Clive walked up to the reception and asked about certain businessman called ‘Once-ler’ (this couldn’t be his real name, Clive thought). At the sound of this name, some blonde woman in lavish outfit instantly went up to him.

“You’re lookin’ for Mr. Once-ler? Why he’s my son! And you must be Clive Dove? Isabelle Ler, nice to meet ya. C’mon, I’ll get you ‘round to him,” said the lady, incredibly fast, in a strong southern drawl. If Mr. Once-ler is just like this, then oh boy, wasn’t he there for a ride.

He was quickly took by this strange lady around. She kept talking about how talented and incredible her son was. Her way of talking, her perfume that was way too strong for him or her fake rich-looking outfit with faux fur (or was it, he started thinking as he stared at it horrified). Clive already felt himself having enough of this all. He just hoped he could deal with this with no harm for him and get to his much more appreciated writing.

Soon enough, she walked him up to her son’s office. He almost wanted to laugh when he saw this man’s name written in gold on the door. Suddenly rich guy and he does that already? But well, he didn’t want to make it more awkward than it already was. The lady knocked on the door and spoke in a sweet tone that was basically out of place.

“Oncie, darlin’? This reporter showed up, you were supposed to have an interview.”

He could almost hear a sigh at the other side of the door and several lazy steps. When he opened, Clive just stood there dumbfounded.

Oh, wow.

First things first, he was incredibly tall. Clive himself was rather on a smaller side but good god, wasn’t this man huge. He was astonishingly slender and even if he looked a little sloppier, he still seemed elegant. Travelling up with his sight, Clive saw his round and bright face and his blue eyes that sparkled with such confidence. He cracked a sweet smile at the reporter and run a hand through his soft black hair.

“Oh, good morning, sorry it took so much. My name is Once-ler, nice to meet you,” he said in a pleasant voice and extended his hand.

“Clive Dove,” he tried to maintain his voice as he shook his hand. “It’s not so troublesome, I haven’t waited for so long.”

“Oncie!!! Where’s your jacket, how are you presenting in front of the reporter! Quit slobbing around, I haven’t raised you like this,” his mother acted as if she forgot Clive was around.

“Mom, I-“

“I suppose, it shouldn’t be a problem for us,” Clive interrupted, trying to save the situation. “It’s not a video interview, I want Mr. Once-ler to feel comfortable.”

She looked as if she tried real hard not to roll her eyes on him.

“Well, as you say Mr. Dove,” Isabelle shut herself down and returned to her sickly sweet smile. “I’ll leave you two to it, better behave, Oncie” she said as she finally walked away from them. Leaving them alone. Oh boy.

Clive looked up to see his mother walking away. His sight was anxious, he was visibly startled by all of this. Quickly, he managed to snap himself out of it. Focusing now on the journalist, he started.

“Please, go inside, we should get started.”

“Of course.”

Stepping inside, Clive would’ve never guessed how huge it was. It made sense for someone Mr. Once-ler’s height but he himself had to be impressed. Walls were decorated with fancy wallpaper and giant art of Truffula trees. Large windows nearby showed a rather busy London street. It all looked very professional, he had to say. At the center, there was a desk filled with different documents and legalities.

Mr. Once-ler showed him the way to a velvet chair opposite to the one presumably his. He still seemed a little off put. It was clear he tried real hard to appear professional. When Clive took his seat, he spoke again.

“M-Maybe you’d like some tea or coffee? It will take a while, I think,” he said with a smile.

“A tea would be heavenly,” he smiled back and already looked for his notebook. This guy gets it.

As the businessman ordered two teas for them, they both tried to mentally prepare themselves for the work. Clive looked frantically at his notebook with pre-written rules. ‘1. Be substantial. 2. Don’t immediately strike for the obvious. 3. Remember to be as discreet as possible’. It was all easier said than done, especially if he was in company of someone like Mr. Once-ler.

Clive looked at him, while he was staring in the distance. Businessman caught this glance and shot him a little awkward smile and laughed a little. His laugh was so infective, he quickly joined him. This little moment just felt… Strangely familiar. Like they were good friends, not two men meeting each other for assigned work.

But work was still work, Clive had to remind himself.

“Do you agree on me using recorder for this talk?” Clive had to ask him before anything.

“Oh, yes.”

“Alright, then…” He cleared his throat and began, “Are you ready, Mr. Once-ler?”

“Like never,” he said in such a charming tone.

Let’s do this.

* * *

There were interviews and articles that were a true challenge and a nuisance for Clive. But not this one.

Mr. Once-ler truly surprised him as a person. He was both professional and laid-back while talking to him. Interviewing him seemed just like a good talk between friends, not something that could be crucial to Clive’s entire writing career. He was just so charming and his charm was noticeable in everything. His way of speaking, his warm tone of voice, how often he slipped some jokes in the talk, his gesticulation and god, _that smile_. And was it bad that he got lost in his sky blue eyes several times during the talk? Maybe, but Clive didn’t care.

He started off with some pretty standard stuff. Asking about his company, how it all begin and how did he react to that sudden success. He learnt that it was indeed _very_ sudden for him. But Mr. Once-ler seemed like a very optimistic person. He told him that he didn’t mind challenges for his job and is happy to continue it. This success was so widespread, he never imagined even working in a place like this.

Clive could honestly listen more to him, the businessman was just so eager to say it all. For some reason, his anxiety and restlessness were quickly forgotten. It was just nice to feel so good about it. It made him appreciate his writing job even more.

But now… Onto the less wanted part of this.

Clive had to mentally yell at himself for taking this subject. Maybe others just knew how nice of a person Mr. Once-ler was and that’s why they didn’t want to take this. But Clive had to do it, so much dependent on just this one subject. He had to make it as easy as it could be.

“Mr. Once-ler, you seem like a person very much so focused on your work. But is there anything you’d like to tell the readers somewhat from the backstage?” he said, while looking at his notes.

“Not necessarily. I’m very much so focused on the business and biggering the company. That’s the most important to me, I don’t feel like I should concentrate on anything more,” Mr. Once-ler replied, almost without a care.

“Such a popular and influential businessman surely has a lot of people around him. But isn’t there anyone in your more private life for now?” Clive persisted.

Mr. Once-ler looked a bit troubled by it, looking for an answer in his head. He looked as if he was caught off guard. His expression changed to a more surprised one as he raised his eyebrows, quite quickly. He shot him a grin, laughed a bit and twiddled his thumbs. Probably to release tension, Clive noted.

“Actually the reason is that, I don’t exactly have a private life? I just wanna very much so focus on my work, it’s not like I wanna hide anyone from the public space,” he said quickly, a little more less confident than before.

“So how would you like to describe yourself in such situations? Have you always been so discreet? Does that help your business?”

“Actually, I…” Mr. Once-ler hesitated for a moment but then started, “I guess, I have always been like this. I’ve never had too many people around. It’s just been me and my own ideas. But it’s fine this way by me. I just wanna do it right, I don’t need much help around. Maybe the right person will come to me but for now, I’d rather to focus on my own family and work. It’s what matters the most to me.”

Clive blinked several times at him. It almost made him feel flustered in a way. Here, in front of him, there’s a man who just prefers to do things on his own, who just looks for the best for his closest group but also doesn’t mind new challenges. Didn’t that just… Ring the bell to him?

He hated to admit but that surely was something he could relate to. Clive was known to be a person who both loved to take charge but also liked his own loneliness. He wasn’t a person who had so many friends or went on so many dates. Embarrassing as it sounded, he couldn’t exactly recall his last date or get away with friends. He was caught up with either his job or his own business. It was just important to him.

As for the family part… Clive wasn’t exactly the luckiest person when it came to this thing. His parents died in an accident, when he was young. His foster mother died just a year ago. He still couldn’t truly cope with all of this. They meant a lot to him so he could certainly relate to the fact just how much he cared about it. He just wished he could be as close to them.

Damn, he really didn’t think, he’d get so much from just this one work. It was probably foolish of him to think all of this. But something about this man just drove him closer and closer to himself, he couldn’t deny. Clive just felt something familiar when it came to him and something that could be almost needed for him. He was probably just a little starstruck by him but… Even that, didn’t happen too much for him. So maybe this Mr. Once-ler really knew what he was doing. Or he just did what Clive needed.

Maybe a familiar soul was something that Clive really struck for in that exact moment. And maybe what Mr. Once-ler felt hit a little too close to home to him. He suddenly got lost in his thoughts, about it all.

“Mr. Dove? Are you alright?” Mr. Once-ler shot him a worried expression.

Clive quickly turned off his recorder. He only did that when things got a bit “too much”. It was probably a right thing to do now.

“Sure, sure, nothing has happened,” he reassured him. “I just needed a moment to process, it was only a moment.”

“Of course.”

“Actually, I think I have the material I needed. Do you mind wrapping it all up now?” he exhaled, trying to remain professional about it.

“No no, we should just go for it,” Mr. Once-ler said and tried to uphold the atmosphere.

Clive thought for a moment but he knew exactly, what he wanted for the last bit. He turned on his recorder again and started:

“That was a very thoughtful answer. At the end, Mr. Once-ler, what do you want to say for the next stages of your business expansion?”

Mr. Once-ler smiled again and said, without a doubt, “I just hope that with my work, I’ll achieve what I wanted. I’m just looking forward to new challenges along the way.”

“I wish all the best for the future for you, Mr. Once-ler. Thank you for this interview,” Clive smiled as well and looked him maybe too directly into the eyes.

“Thank you too, Mr. Dove.”

And in a moment the click signalizing turning his device off was heard. They both seemed to exhale loudly after all this work. Even though Clive felt like it wasn’t the hardest interview to make, it was still so interesting. He almost felt awkward finishing their talk, as if he really didn’t want to let Mr. Once-ler go. Not like this.

Honestly, this whole bloody gossip subject could go to hell. Clive felt satisfaction with his talk and material he got. If his boss didn’t appreciate it, there was nothing he could do. He just did his best.

“I know I asked this but are you truly alright after this?” Mr. Once-ler asked with a rather concerned expression.

“Don’t worry, I just needed to process a little,” Clive shot him a comfortable smile. “Thank you for this material, really, I’m glad we could talk.”

“And thank you too, Mr. Dove,” Mr. Once-ler smiled back. “I don’t usually get to interview such nice people, you know. Especially the ones who finally put some sense into their questions.”

“You just flatter me. But thank you, I could say the same for you. I think I just appreciate the way you are. It just feels… I think, natural for me. You’re truly a remarkable person.”

Clive smirked at him. He was probably pushing it a little too much. But well, wasn’t that something he really wanted to do.

“Now you flatter me! What can I say, I guess we both have our ways,” he winked at him.

Oh god, he was doing it on purpose, Clive thought. Definitely on purpose.

Unfortunately for both of them, it had to be a moment for them both to part ways. Clive packed his things and thanked Mr. Once-ler again. On his way back, Mr. Once-ler looked a little more insecure. Just as Clive was supposed to leave, he said:

“Can I ask you a question, Mr. Dove?”

“Naturally.”

“I…”Mr. Once-ler thought again but mustered up his courage, “Why did you ask me such private questions at the end?”

Clive stood there a bit astonished. And that’s how his master plan could fall apart, he feared. Yet, he tried to remain his cool.

“Actually… I’m not sure. I think it’s just how newspaper wants us to work. People just eat up these topics.”

“Right, right,” a faintest blush spread across his cheeks. “You know for a moment, I almost thought you were just testing waters.”

“Pardon?”

“It almost sounded as if you wanted to know whether I’m with someone. I mean, if I can say this.”

“Mr. Once-ler, I hope you’re aware that you’re being absolutely cheeky right now,” Clive grinned. This sudden change of events was very much so to his liking.

“I do. And I’m probably way too forward with this but… You’ve learnt a lot about me, during this time. But I didn’t learn too much about you.”

“That’s my job. I meet wonderful people who give me everything I want and in return, I try to make them look good. Not that I would need to do much to make you seem wonderful, Mr. Once-ler,” he happily played his game. And how much he enjoyed it.

“Maybe this time… You’d agreed to meet again?” Mr. Once-ler smiled again. “A tea or a good drink, how you like it. Just so we can be even.”

“Are you asking me out?” Clive asked, somewhat too forewardly.

“Would you agree if I said ‘yes’?” Mr. Once-ler gave him a charming grin.

And Clive was known to never say ‘no’ to a proposition like this.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed it!! btw lately I made a [twitter](https://twitter.com/how_bad_me_be) account, go follow it if you want 👀


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